948 research outputs found
L'Ă©valuation des effectifs de la population des pays africains : vol. 2
Dans la conclusion de l'ouvrage sur "L'Ă©valuation des effectifs de la population des pays africains", les auteurs mettent en perspective le contenu des 44 monographies pour en tirer des conclusions relatives Ă l'amĂ©lioration des mĂ©thodes de collecte et d'analyse. Dans la premiĂšre partie, les auteurs dressent un bilan des sources de donnĂ©es (estimations anciennes, recensements administratifs, autres sources administratives, recensements statistiques, enquĂȘtes post-censitaires, enquĂȘtes par sondages), puis dans la deuxiĂšme partie, ils procĂšdent Ă l'Ă©tude critique des sources en examinant successivement le champ gĂ©ographique, la population de rĂ©fĂ©rence, les problĂšmes posĂ©s par certaines catĂ©gories de population et les facteurs susceptibles d'avoir une influence sur la qualitĂ© de la collecte. La troisiĂšme partie est consacrĂ©e Ă l'analyse de la cohĂ©rence des donnĂ©es, en fonction du type et de la qualitĂ© des donnĂ©es disponibles. Enfin en conclusion sont prĂ©sentĂ©s les effectifs proposĂ©s dans les monographies pour la population des pays revue au 1er janvier 1975, et sont rassemblĂ©es des propositions d'amĂ©lioration des sources de donnĂ©e
Durability of Therapeutic Response to Milnacipran Treatment for Fibromyalgia. Results of a Randomized, Double-Blind, Monotherapy 6-Month Extension Study
To evaluate the durability of improvement and long-term efficacy of milnacipran treatment in fibromyalgia, to assess efficacy in patients re-randomized from placebo to milnacipran, and to collect additional information on the tolerability and efficacy of long-term treatment with milnacipran.A total of 449 patients who successfully completed a 6-month lead-in study enrolled in this 6-month extension study (87.7% of eligible subjects). Patients initially receiving milnacipran 200âmg/day during the lead-in study were maintained at 200âmg/day (nâ=â209); patients initially assigned to placebo or milnacipran 100âmg/day were re-randomized (1:4) to either 100âmg/day (nâ=â48) or 200âmg/day (nâ=â192) of milnacipran for an additional 6 months of treatment. Efficacy assessments included visual analog scale pain ratings, Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) total score, and Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC).Patients continuing on milnacipran demonstrated a sustained reduction in pain over the full 12-month period. Additional beneficial effects were also maintained, as indicated by the PGIC and FIQ. Patients initially assigned to either placebo or milnacipran 100âmg/day in the lead-in study and subsequently re-randomized to milnacipran 200âmg/day in the extension study experienced further improvements in their mean pain scores, FIQ total scores, and PGIC ratings at 1 year. Milnacipran treatment was generally well tolerated. The most commonly reported newly emergent adverse event was nausea.In addition to confirming that milnacipran safely and effectively improves the multiple symptoms of fibromyalgia, these data indicate that milnacipran provides 1-year durable efficacy in this patient population.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78636/1/j.1526-4637.2009.00755.x.pd
Absolute measurement of the unresolved cosmic X-ray background in the 0.5-8 keV band with Chandra
We present the absolute measurement of the unresolved 0.5-8 keV cosmic X-ray
background (CXB) in the Chandra Deep Fields (CDFs) North and South, the longest
observations with Chandra (2 Ms and 1 Ms, respectively). We measure the
unresolved CXB intensity by extracting spectra of the sky, removing all point
and extended sources detected in the CDF. To model and subtract the
instrumental background, we use observations obtained with ACIS in stowed
position, not exposed to the sky. The unresolved signal in the 0.5-1 keV band
is dominated by diffuse Galactic and local thermal-like emission. In the 1-8
keV band, the unresolved spectrum is adequately described by a power law with a
photon index 1.5. We find unresolved CXB intensities of (1.04+/-0.14)x10^-12
ergs cm^-2 s^-1 deg^-2 for the 1-2 keV band and (3.4+/-1.7)x10^-12 ergs cm^-2
s^-1 deg^-2 for the 2-8 keV band. Our detected unresolved intensities in these
bands significantly exceed the expected flux from sources below the CDF
detection limits, if one extrapolates the logN/logS curve to zero flux. Thus
these background intensities imply either a genuine diffuse component, or a
steepening of the logN/logS curve at low fluxes, most significantly for
energies <2 keV. Adding the unresolved intensity to the total contribution from
sources detected in these fields and wider-field surveys, we obtain a total
intensity of the extragalactic CXB of (4.6+/-0.3)x10^-12 ergs cm^-2 s^-1 deg^-2
for 1-2 keV and (1.7+/-0.2)x10^-11 ergs cm^-2 s^-1 deg^-2 for 2-8 keV. These
totals correspond to a CXB power law normalization (for photon index 1.4) of
10.9 photons cm^-2 s^-1 keV^-1 sr^-1 at 1 keV. This corresponds to resolved
fracations of 77+/-3% and 80+/-8% for 1-2 and 2-8 keV, respectively.Comment: 23 emulateapj pages, accepted for publication in ApJ. Minor
revisions, most notably a new summary of the error analysi
De l'homme au chiffre. Réflexions sur l'observation démographique en Afrique
Ce manuel aborde de façon concrÚte les problÚmes posés par la collecte des données démographiques à partir de l'expérience des praticiens du domaine. La définition des concepts et les problÚmes linguistiques sont envisagés. Les phases de réalisation d'une opération sont examinées à travers l'organisation du travail sur le terrain, la cartographie, l'exploitation des données et l'archivage des documents. La derniÚre partie présente les méthodes de collecte particuliÚres à certains thÚmes (fécondité, mortalité, migrations, emploi et activité
The X-ray surface brightness distribution from diffuse gas
We use simulations to predict the X-ray surface brightness distribution
arising from hot, cosmologically distributed diffuse gas. The distribution is
computed for two bands: 0.5-2 keV and 0.1-0.4 keV, using a
cosmological-constant dominated cosmology that fits many other observations. We
examine a number of numerical issues such as resolution, simulation volume and
pixel size and show that the predicted mean background is sensitive to
resolution such that higher resolution systematically increases the mean
predicted background. Although this means that we can compute only lower bounds
to the predicted level, these bounds are already quite restrictive. Since the
observed extra-galactic X-ray background is mostly accounted for by compact
sources, the amount of the observed background attributable to diffuse gas is
tightly constrained. We show that without physical processes in addition to
those included in the simulations (such as radiative cooling or
non-gravitational heating), both bands exceed observational limits. In order to
examine the effect of non-gravitational heating we explore a simple modeling of
energy injection and show that substantial amounts of heating are required
(i.e. 5 keV per particle when averaged over all baryons). Finally, we also
compute the distribution of surface brightness on the sky and show that it has
a well-resolved characteristic shape. This shape is substantially modified by
non-gravitational heating and can be used as a probe of such energy injection.Comment: 11 pages, 11 figures, submitted to Ap
The deepest X-ray look at the Universe
The origin of the X-ray background, in particular at hard (2-10 keV)
energies, has been a debated issue for more than 30 years. The Chandra deep
fields provide the deepest look at the X-ray sky and are the best dataset to
study the X-ray background. We searched the Chandra Deep Field South for X-ray
sources with the aid of a dedicated wavelet-based algorithm. We are able to
reconstruct the Log N-Log S source distribution in the soft (0.5-2 keV) and
hard (2-10 keV) bands down to limiting fluxes of 2x10^{-17} erg s^{-1} cm^{-2}
and 2x10^{-16} erg s^{-1} cm^{-2}, respectively. These are a factor ~5 deeper
than previous investigations. We find that the soft relation continues along
the extrapolation from higher fluxes, almost completely accounting for the soft
X-ray background. On the contrary, the hard distribution shows a flattening
below ~2x10^{-14} erg s^{-1} cm^{-2}. Nevertheless, we can account for >68% of
the hard X-ray background, with the main uncertainty being the sky flux itself.Comment: Accepted for publication on ApJL. Two figures, requires emulateapj5
(included
The resolved fraction of the Cosmic X-ray Background
We present the X-ray source number counts in two energy bands (0.5-2 and 2-10
keV) from a very large source sample: we combine data of six different surveys,
both shallow wide field and deep pencil beam, performed with three different
satellites (ROSAT, Chandra and XMM-Newton). The sample covers with good
statistics the largest possible flux range so far: [2.4*10^-17 - 10^-11] cgs in
the soft band and [2.1*10^-16 - 8*10^{-12}]cgs in the hard band. Integrating
the flux distributions over this range and taking into account the (small)
contribution of the brightest sources we derive the flux density generated by
discrete sources in both bands. After a critical review of the literature
values of the total Cosmic X--Ray Background (CXB) we conclude that, with the
present data, the 94.3%, and 88.8% of the soft and hard CXB can be ascribed to
discrete source emission. If we extrapolate the analytical form of the Log
N--Log S distribution beyond the flux limit of our catalog in the soft band we
find that the flux from discrete sources at ~3*10^-18 cgs is consistent with
the entire CXB, whereas in the hard band it accounts for only 93% of the total
CXB at most, hinting for a faint and obscured population to arise at even
fainter fluxes.Comment: Accepted for publication in Ap
âThese Trees Have Stories to Tellâ: Linking DĂ«nesÇ«ÌĆınĂ© Oral History of Caribou Use with Trample Scar Frequency on Black Spruce Roots at Éedacho KuĂ©
For thousands of years Éedacho KuĂ© (Artillery Lake, Northwest Territories) has been a key water crossing site for barren-ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus). Human disturbance of barren-ground caribou habitat in northern Canada has emerged as an important focus of study in the last decade; particularly in the Bathurst range of the Northwest Territories where caribou populations have declined by more than 95% since the 1980s. Guided by local Indigenous leaders and Elders, a collaborative research project was developed with the DĂ«nesÇ«ÌĆınĂ© people of ĆutsĂ«l Kâe DĂ«ne First Nation (2012 â 14). This paper describes linkages between knowledge derived from DĂ«nesÇ«ÌĆınĂ© oral history and quantitative dendroecological analysis of trample scars on black spruce (Picea mariana) root samples collected at Éedacho KuĂ© to provide a better understanding of caribou use at this location. Findings from oral histories and dendroecology analysis were consistent with one another and with previous dendroecology study in the region, although some discrepancies were detected in data from 1995 â 2006 that require further study to elucidate. Key findings include relatively low caribou use at Éedacho KuĂ© during the 1930s and late 1960s, with use increasing into the 1970s and peaking in the late 1980s, as well as Elder and hunter reports of no caribou in some years between 2005 and 2012. This work addresses a gap in scientific data about barren-ground caribou movements at Éedacho KuĂ© prior to satellite collar use in 1996 and corroborates previously documented oral histories about the enduring value of Éedacho KuĂ© as critical habitat to barren-ground caribou. Given the drastic decline of the Bathurst caribou over the last two decades, more research is needed to understand movements and their relationship to population dynamics. In this context, the research approach described in this paper could be used as an example of how to meaningfully bring together place-based Indigenous knowledge and science in addressing an urgent issue of Arctic sustainability. Â
 Depuis des milliers dâannĂ©es, Éedacho KuĂ© (lac Artillery, Territoires du Nord-Ouest) sert dâimportant point de franchissement de cours dâeau pour le caribou de la toundra (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus). La perturbation anthropique de lâhabitat du caribou de la toundra dans le Nord canadien a fait lâobjet dâĂ©tudes importantes ces dix derniĂšres annĂ©es, plus particuliĂšrement dans lâaire de rĂ©partition de Bathurst, dans les Territoires du Nord-Ouest, oĂč les populations de caribous ont chutĂ© de plus de 95 % depuis les annĂ©es 1980. Un projet de recherche collaborative guidĂ© par des chefs et des aĂźnĂ©s autochtones locaux a Ă©tĂ© conçu en consultation avec le peuple DĂ«nesÇ«ÌĆınĂ© de la PremiĂšre Nation ĆutsĂ«l Kâe DĂ«ne (2012 â 2014). Cet article dĂ©crit les liens entre les connaissances dĂ©rivĂ©es de lâhistoire orale des DĂ«nesÇ«ÌĆınĂ©s et lâanalyse dendroĂ©cologique quantitative des cicatrices de piĂ©tinement se trouvant sur les Ă©chantillons de racines dâĂ©pinettes noires (Picea mariana) prĂ©levĂ©s Ă Éedacho KuĂ© afin de mieux comprendre lâutilisation de ce lieu par les caribous. Les constatations dĂ©coulant de lâhistoire orale et de lâanalyse dendroĂ©cologique concordaient ensemble ainsi quâavec une Ă©tude dendroĂ©cologique antĂ©rieure de la rĂ©gion, bien que certains Ă©carts aient Ă©tĂ© dĂ©celĂ©s dans les donnĂ©es de 1995 Ă 2006, Ă©carts qui se doivent dâĂȘtre Ă©tudiĂ©s afin dâĂȘtre Ă©lucidĂ©s. Parmi les principales constatations, notons lâutilisation relativement faible de Éedacho KuĂ© par les caribous pendant les annĂ©es 1930 et la fin des annĂ©es 1960, une utilisation accrue dans les annĂ©es 1970 ayant atteint un sommet vers la fin des annĂ©es 1980, ainsi que le signalement de lâabsence de caribous par les aĂźnĂ©s et les chasseurs au cours de certaines annĂ©es entre 2005 et 2012. Notre recherche comble un manque de donnĂ©es scientifiques relativement aux dĂ©placements du caribou de la toundra Ă Éedacho KuĂ© avant que les colliers Ă©metteurs Ă transmission par satellite ne commencent Ă ĂȘtre employĂ©s en 1996. Elle corrobore lâhistoire orale documentĂ©e prĂ©cĂ©demment au sujet de la valeur durable de ?edacho KuĂ© en tant quâhabitat critique du caribou de la toundra. En raison de la chute importante de la population du caribou de Bathurst ces deux derniĂšres dĂ©cennies, de plus amples recherches sâimposent afin de comprendre les dĂ©placements et leur lien avec la dynamique de la population. Dans ce contexte, la dĂ©marche de recherche dĂ©crite dans cet article pourrait servir dâexemple montrant comment concilier les connaissances autochtones dâun endroit avec la science pour faire face Ă un enjeu urgent de durabilitĂ© de lâArctique.
What can BeppoSAX do about the 2-10 keV cosmic background ? A progress report
We report the current status of the analysis of the MECS background using the
entire dataset of the BeppoSAX Science performance Verification Phase. We have
collected 360 ks of dark Earth instrumental background, 470 ks of bright Earth
background and 1100 ks of blank field data. We are attempting to model the
instrumental background in terms of its various components (in particular the
spatial modulation of the residual contamination by the built-in Fe calibration
sources), and then use this model, and the information on the vignetting and
the PSF to derive the cosmic background in the 2-10 keV rangeComment: 8 pages, 9 figures imbedded, To appear in The Active X-ray Sky:
Results from BeppoSAX and Rossi-XTE, Nuclear Physics B Proceedings
Supplements, L. Scarsi, H. Bradt, P. Giommi and F. Fiore (eds.), Elsevier
Science B.
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